The Faces Of Love
by itslikenature
Summary: Bella has asked Jake for some time to sort things out after coming back from Italy. Jake takes this as a sign that things are probably over between them, be it friendship or something more. But Embry makes him realize he must fight for what they had.


_**Do you always trust your first initial feeling**_

_**Special knowledge holds truth, bears believing  
I turned around**_

_**And the water was closing all around  
Like a glove  
Like the love that had finally, finally found me  
Then I knew**_

_**How the faces of love have changed turning  
the pages  
And I have changed oh, but you...you remain  
ageless  
I turned around  
And the water was closing all around  
Like a glove  
Like the love that had finally, finally found me  
Then I knew**_

_**~ Crystal by Stevie Nicks**_

The Faces Of Love

The day that Bella came back from Italy, she had called to tell me she needed some time. The conversation only lasted for five minutes, but I knew that it would be the turning point or the end of our relationship, or what was left of it.

The first few days, I moped around feeling sorry for myself and worrying about her, but Embry came over one afternoon and cornered me in the garage. I wasn't actually working on anything, just staring at it, wishing I could just run into Forks, take Bella by the hand, and convince her to come to La Push with me and spend the day.

If I had that much time alone with her, I knew I could show her how I really felt about her—how much she meant to me, and maybe, just maybe she'd listen and realize she had another choice.

Embry knew that I had been having a rough time the past few days, so he came over to try and _cheer me up._ It's times like these that make you realize who your true friends are and I knew I could always count on him.

"Hey man. I thought I might find you here," he said, as he pulled out the old milk crate and sat down next to where I was leaning against the Rabbit.

"Yeah. I was just working on some things," I said, trying not to look as unhappy as I really was.

"Let me see your hands," he said, and I couldn't help but look at him like he was crazy.

"What the..."

"I said, let me see your hands," he replied in a rather harsh tone for Embry. He was always the quiet sincere type.

But I was curious now as to why the hell he wanted to look at my hands, so just to amuse myself I threw them out toward him and cocked my head to the side as if to say, 'get on with it inspector general.'

"Hum, just as I thought. You haven't even touched the engine. There's not a trace of grease under those nails or on your hands."

"So. And your point is?" I said.

"Jake, my point is, you can go over the scenarios over and over in your mind until you go mad, or you can put that brain of yours into action and make a move—a move that might mean the difference in your life and in hers."

"Since when did you get all Dr. Phil on me? And besides, what business is this of yours anyway. It's my miserable butt on the highway to misery and hell, not yours," I snarled and pulled my hands down to my sides, resting my hands, palms down, on the fender of the car leaning back on them.

"That's where you're wrong Jake. This thing is affecting you more than you know and I'm not going to stand around and watch my best friend die a slow death because of it. If you want her, you damn well better fight for her."

I looked up and almost glared at him. This was not the Embry I knew. But I sort of liked this side of him. And maybe he was right. All I had been doing was standing around fighting this battle in my mind and in my heart when I could be putting my energies into actually doing something about it instead of just _wishing_ I could do something about it.

"So Einstein, what did you have in mind?" I said all cocky like thinking he would just say he was only offering a suggestion and leave.

But I was wrong. He looked at me for a few minutes, long and hard, before he said anything.

"I have a plan," he finally said, rubbing his hands together, and I saw a definite gleam in his black eyes that made me feel hope for the first time in days.

"I'm listening, but I'm not agreeing to anything yet," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Okay. Well you know my mom has been working part time at the supermarket in Forks for the past few months, right? Well she told me last night that Bella is the one who usually buys the groceries. She normally comes in on Saturday, after lunch, sometimes with Cullen, sometimes without. You and I both know that when she's without him that he's probably either hunting or it's a sunny day and he can't be seen in public."

"Yeah, keep talking," I encouraged him.

"Jake, hello! Today is Saturday, it's sunny out, and the Swans' are out of milk."

"So you think she'll be at the supermarket today to buy groceries and there won't be a Cullen with her?" I asked making sure I was following him.

"Right. If we go right now, we should be able to catch her at the supermarket and maybe you can get her to come back here for a while so the two of you can talk and iron all of this out. It's worth a try anyway and it beats standing her dying a slow death of guilt and regret."

He had several good points, if only I knew his information was correct. I'd risk the treaty, taking whatever punishment Sam cared to dish out, and the possibility of running into a bloodsucker for a chance to have just a few hours with Bella. The idea became more and more appealing and my adrenaline started pumping.

"So you'll be my, what backup or lookout?" I asked, smiling down at him for the first time in days.

"Both. I want you to be happy Jake and I know that you are the right choice for her. We just have to make her see it."

"Thanks man. But you know I couldn't ask you to break the treaty, get in trouble with Sam, or worse than that get hurt."

"I'm already hurt watching this thing tear you apart."

I was surprised to hear him say that, but I suppose it shouldn't be too unexpected. I had only phased a couple of times since Bella came back and I knew the others were glad when I phased back because my head was filled with all sorts of crazy things.

That's what made me decide to do it, seeing how it looked through their eyes, so I reached out and offered Embry my hand as I pulled him up off the milk crate. He smiled at me in return and I felt like we were going off on some secret mission together as we both climbed into the Rabbit, neither of us saying a word. This should be something that I was doing alone—something I should have done the day she got back, but I had to admit, it felt nice having Embry ride shotgun.

It was already eleven thirty when we passed into the city limits of Forks. I felt the hair began to stand up on the back of my neck and I became more focused, looking at every face as we drove slowly through town.

The sun was brighter today than it had been in a while and I looked at the sky, but there wasn't a cloud to be found. Maybe we would get lucky and this would go smoothly. I only needed a few hours with Bella to talk to her the way I should have talked to her in the first place.

But then the doubts set in. What if she didn't want to talk to me? What if she was so wrapped up in Cullen that she wouldn't even be able to see with was right before her eyes, even for a brief moment, enough to give what we had shared all summer a chance? It didn't matter. This was a chance I had to take or I would always wonder what could have been.

We pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket and sure enough there was Bella's truck, parked near the front door. I parked several cars down from her, beside a rather large Bronco that all but swallowed up my Rabbit, hiding it from view.

Embry nodded to me as we got out and we both went over to the truck and sniffed the air, trying to determine if there was a bloodsucker with her or not. There were faint traces of a sweet bleachy scent, but nothing new so we headed inside the store.

We split up and Embry went toward the produce, while I looked for the dairy department. So far so good, but I didn't see her anywhere. I was just about to turn around and go down the next isle, when I heard the sound of her voice. It made my heart clench in my chest to hear her so close to me and know that she was safe.

I rounded the corner and was coming up behind Bella and could not only see her now but I could hear all of the conversation.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as she stepped toward him, then stopped.

"Bella. Actually I was looking for you," he said, but he stopped when he saw another girl standing beside Bella.

I couldn't see the girl's face from where I was standing, but I knew she wasn't a vampire, just from the smell. She smelled much like Bella with strawberry scented hair and vanilla lip gloss being the main fragrances that danced on the air.

But Bella never started talking again as she inched closer to Embry and before I knew what was happening she had wrapped her arms around his neck and was giving him a hug, like she hadn't seen him in a long, long time. Then I smelled the saltiness of her tears, as she whispered, "How is he?" against his collar.

He simply replied, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" As I walked quietly up behind her.

She spun around and quickly wiped her eyes as she came face to face with me. She looked so beautiful, but I saw the weariness in her features and her smile as she placed her hand over her mouth and gasped.

"Don't I get one of those too?" I asked, choking the emotion back so that I sounded tougher and more stern than I probably should have.

But she didn't run into my arms like I had hoped. She just moved so that she was standing right in front of me and looked up with almost disbelief into my eyes.

"I'm not sure you want to hug me after all..." she whispered, but I was already wrapping my arms around her.

She melted into my arms and I felt hers tremble as she placed them around my waist. I could have stayed there holding her for the next hour or so, but I was afraid that we would be interrupted by peopled of the paler, more sparkly persuasion, so I decided to make my move and see if I could talk her into going to La Push with me for the rest of the day.

I buried my face in her hair for a split second and inhaled deeply, hoping that no matter the outcome of the day that I could always have that moment committed to memory to help get me through the rough times.

She pulled back hesitantly and I saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. I hoped that it was a good sign and that maybe she had been doing some soul searching too.

"Hey, now enough of that," I said, wiping the moisture away with my thumbs as I held her thin face gently between my hands.

"Jake, the two of you shouldn't be here. You know that this is breaking the tr..." she said, looking at me with concern in her brown eyes.

"I know, that's why I want you to come to La Push with me so we can talk for the rest of the day. I needed to see you and have some things I need to say, Bella."

"Jake, I don't know if I can," she said, glancing over my shoulder to the girl that was with her.

"Bella, I think you should. I think you should hear what he has to say," the girl said, and I turned my head just enough to see her staring at us.

I had no clue who she was, but from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, she knew more about me and this situation that I could have imagined. She smiled at me with a seriousness that confirmed my suspicions and I looked back to Bella for some sign of giving in to my request.

She pulled away slowly and wiped her eyes with her hand then wiped them on her shorts in a move that seemed to scream uncertainty. She looked down at the floor for a few minutes, shifted on her feet and stuffed her hands in her pockets, before looking back at the other girl.

"Um, this is my cousin, Camille, Camille Swan. Charlie asked her to come stay with me for a few days while I sorted some things out," Bella said, looking a little nervous now.

'Things.' I wondered what kind of 'things' she was having to sort out. I thought life with Mr. Sparkles was perfect that's why she hadn't called me.

I tried not to let my hopes get up too high, but I was on pins and needles wondering what her answer would be. But before I could say anything else, Camille stepped forward and offered me her hand. She didn't seem to be as shy as Bella, even if she looked very much like her.

"Hello. I'm Jacob Black," I said, taking her hand in mine.

"I know," she said, smiling. Then she turned to Embry, "And you must be, Quil?" she asked, questioningly.

"No. I. Am. Not, _Quil Ateara_. I'm Embry Call," he said, shaking his head as he took the hand she offered him.

"Oh, Embry, of course. Sorry. I should have recognized you by your eyes. You were right Bella," she said smiling at him.

Now what did that mean? Had Bella been giving her physical details about all of us too? I'm not sure that set well with me, but what could I do. I guess she was entitled to her opinions of all of us. I just hoped that her opinion of me was still up there at the top of the list. After all, you can't just go from being best friends who were inseparable for months to being strangers.

I looked over at Embry and he was smiling at Camille like he had just found his lost pair of favorite socks and from the look on her face, she was enjoying the moment just as much. But it was Bella who finally spoke up and broke us all out of our silence staring.

"Okay, Jake," she said.

"Okay. What? You'll go?" I asked, focusing my attention on her.

"Yeah. Let's go," she replied taking a step toward me.

And all awkwardness seemed to melt away and it was back to being Jake and Bells, as I took her hand and maneuvered her past the buggy on the way out of the store. I heard a giggle behind me and turned around to see Embry escorting Camille out of the store behind us by the elbow. The ride to La Push would be interesting.

Camille and Embry climbed into the back of the Rabbit and she had to practically sit on his lap, because he all but filled up the back seat, which made him happy. I could tell by the way he was smiling at me in the rearview mirror.

But it wasn't long before I was focusing my attention on Bella as she buckled up beside me and we began pulling out of the parking lot. I saw her glance a couple of times at the sky and each time she did, she sighed what sounded almost like a sigh of relief when the sun still beamed down on the car.

I too was feeling the pressure to get her safely to the other side of the treaty line and for that reason I'm sure I was pushing my foot a littler heavier than usual to bring the Rabbit to life.

We were all silent as we raced toward La Push and if I hadn't known better, I would have thought that Camille and Embry were holding their breath. My guess was that Bella had filled Camille in on the whole vampires vs. wolves thing. Otherwise, she would have been happily talking with Embry.

As the moments ticked by, the tension became thicker in the car and I eased into the gas pedal a bit more. We were cruising now at a speed of sixty miles per hour and I hoped that I didn't run into Charlie or his deputy, Mark, on the highway. I really didn't need a ticket today either.

We made it however, without consequence and just as we rolled over the treaty line, everyone in the car breathed a sigh of relief. Then Camille began talking quietly with Embry and Bella looked over at me and gave me a smile like she was glad I had come to steal her away from Forks for a while.

I didn't even ask, I just kept driving until we were at First Beach. I stopped and turned to look at Bella as she looked out at the water and smiled. I knew she liked it here and I wondered if she had been sad that she hadn't been able, or allowed, to visit a spot she loved?

Thinking about _him_ keeping her from this place or me for that matter made me angry. But I would not let him have the satisfaction of ruining what little time I had with Bella, so I just opened the door and went around to open hers.

"Thanks," she said, as I took her hand and helped her out of the car.

We moved to the front fender of the car and gave Embry and Camille time to get out.

"Jake, I'm going to take Camille down to the cliffs so she can get a better look at the ocean and La Push. You know you can always see things better up there," Embry said, winking at me. I wasn't sure if the wink was for his benefit or mine, but I smiled and said okay just the same.

This left Bella and me alone just like I had hoped for these past few days, but I suddenly didn't know where to begin or what to say. All I could do was study her, beginning with her eyes, her lips, her hair. It was like I hadn't seen her in years and I needed to familiarize myself with every detail about her.

She was quiet as she looked out at the water, leaning against the hood of the car, I'm sure for the warmth that radiated from the motor. I could tell she was cold, maybe not physically on the outside, but inside. Something was amiss with her heart and that made me sad to think that the girl who had finally started to laugh and enjoy life again just a few weeks ago, might not exist anymore.

But that gave me an idea, a place to start. The last time we were together, it was here on the beach and I held her hand as we walked along in the sand. So that's where I would pick up, where we had left off and see what happened.

I reached down and took her small hand in mine, looking at the contrast in the colors of our skin, as I laced my fingers together with hers. She looked at them too and I saw the glistening of briny water in the corners of her eyes.

I slipped my finger under her chin and lifted her face up toward mine. This was my time. The second chance that I had somehow been granted, so I must make the most of it, before it was too late.

"I don't know about you, but this feels right to me. These two hands fit perfectly together," I said, pulling them up to my mouth and kissing her knuckles, before lowering them back to our sides. "And this, being this close to you feels right. I've never wanted to be with anyone but you."

"Jake, don't..."

"No Bella, I have to do this. I have to tell you now how I feel. I should have told you weeks ago, but I was waiting for you to be more comfortable with things. And then you left and I thought I'd never again have this opportunity. But here we are, together again and I take that as a sign from some unknown force that this moment was carved out of time just for us."

"Oh, God, don't say that, Jake," she choked out, as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Then let me say this. Isabella Swan I believe in knowing when someone is right for you and I believe that fate sometimes intervenes when people are too stubborn or blind to see that. I've loved you from the summers of long ago, through the time we spent apart, through our friendship, and your heart break, and I love you now. I will today and will tomorrow and will for all eternity. I know this may sound hard to believe, but I could never have found an imprint that completes me as much as you do. I look into your eyes and I see our future, our family, our life together growing old and that completes me."

"Jake..." she said through a sob, "it's so hard...it's so hard right now. You don't know what I'm going through."

"Bells, I do. I know that you once loved him. He broke you. And you thought you were beyond repair," I said, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair behind her ears. "Then we worked on putting you back together and we did it together. Every day that you spent down here, in La Push, all of the bonfires, walks on the beach, and countless hours working in the garage, was helping to put you back together, bit by bit. But now he's back in your life. You don't trust him and you probably never will again. You love his family and you care for him, but you just don't feel the same way as before. Then there's me. You know that there is something, deep inside of you that wants to reach out and let me love you, but you're afraid of that commitment and you feel trapped between his world and mine."

"How...how do you always know...know...me so well?" she cried softly.

"I told you. We are supposed to be together, Bella. Life keeps bringing us back around to each other and we just need to hold on and take the ride. Let's see where it takes us."

"But I can't just get out of this thing with Ed...Edward," she said desperately.

"No. You can't alone. But together we can work it out. Are you afraid of him or his family? If that's the case, you know that the pack won't let anything happen to you. Even if I have to keep you here for a while on the reservation."

"No. I don't think I am. Afraid I mean. I don't know. I'm just so confused," she said, looking back down at our intertwined fingers.

"Bella, tell me something."

"What?" she asked, as she looked back at me.

I lowered my head toward her, letting my hand caress her cheek as I bent down and slowly, placed my lips to hers. She froze for a moment, then I felt her lean into me, almost like she needed to be in my arms to give her strength.

I pulled my hand from hers and slid it around her waist as I pulled her even closer to me. Then I felt her lips move against mine and I knew she wanted to feel this. To know if I was telling her the truth. To know if she could actually trust her heart.

I felt her hands ghost up my chest and to my neck then up to my face as she felt of my jaw line and cheeks. She was using all of her senses to reconcile her feelings and that almost made _me_ get choked up.

Our lips were moving in perfect unison now, gentle and soft one against the other as I tasted her sweet and salty lips for the first time. But I didn't even mind the salty taste because it was a part of her pain and what she was feeling. I just wanted to make that part go away and heal her, making her whole again bringing her back to me.

As we pulled away from each other, she gasped and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me down to her mouth so that she could whisper into my ear.

"I feel it Jake. I've tried to hide it for so long, but right now I feel it. But how do I know you'll always..."

I pulled away and looked down at her, now with tears of my own in my eyes.

"I love you Bella and I always will. It's that simple. We belong together."

"We do. We do Jake. I know we do," she said, and I saw the first spark of happiness light her eyes since we started our talk.

I wrapped her back in my arms and tucked my face into the nape of her neck, cradling her against my chest as she let go and loosened the reigns on the feelings she had been suppressing for so long. We stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other, before we finally started walking down the beach.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sand making plans for the future, but when the sun started to get low in the sky, Bella began to get fidgety. I knew she was worried about going back and what waited for her in Forks.

"Do you know when he'll return?" I finally asked, looking deep into her eyes hoping that I didn't see the progress we had made today disappear.

"Jake, you can't be with me every moment of every day," she said, peering back at me.

"I know. But if we set things straight now, then maybe there won't be a need to."

"He's probably already back at his house and will be on his way here, or at least to the treaty line very shortly."

"Come on then. Let's go find Embry and Camille then we need to go have a talk with Sam."

"No Jake. I feel like such a fool. I've put you and the pack through a lot being involved with the Cullens and I know they have hard feelings toward me."

"Bella, as long as you're with me, they will care for you, respect you, and protect you. Our pack is strong and we stick together," I said as I pulled her to her feet.

She didn't say anything as I led her back down the beach. We were just about to turn toward the cliffs when I heard Embry and Camille walking back toward us. I couldn't help but smile to myself when I saw them holding hands and wondered what they had been up to all afternoon. But Embry knew by the look on my face that Bella had made her decision and he knew what this meant. He quickened his pace and they caught up with Bella and me, then we turned toward the car.

"So what's the plan?" Embry asked as quietly as possible, trying to put some distance between himself and the girls.

"We're going to talk to Sam," I said flatly and he knew what that meant.

I knew things might not turn out well when I took Bella back home, so we needed all the backup we could get. I didn't want it to end that way. Those on the losing end should just walk away, that's what ordinary humans would do when they saw how a person had made up their mind, but we weren't talking about normal humans here. We were talking about vampires.

The talk with Sam and the others went better than I had expected. The truth of the matter was that they had been looking for an excuse to flex their proverbial canine muscle against the Cullens for a while now, but they had kept me in the dark because they knew I wasn't in any shape to handle that knowledge, at least not for the last few days.

So we formulated our plan to get the girls back to Forks safely. Embry and I would ride in the front of the Rabbit, the girls in the back, and we would just head straight for Bella's house. We knew there would be contact with the Cullens at some point, but we hoped that we, or I should say, Bella and I, would be able to explain her position and that they would leave her alone for good. If that was not the case, however, the rest of the pack would be right there to help take them out.

It had finally reached twilight and I had to use my headlights as we drove out of La Push toward Forks. Embry and I sat up straighter in our seats as we approached the treaty line. All seemed clear or so I thought, until...there...out of nowhere stood Edward and Alice in the beams of my headlights.

I slammed on my breaks and came to a screeching halt, just this side of the treaty line. Embry and I were both on edge and I could see him tremble out of the corner of my eye, but it wasn't out of fear. We both wanted to phase so badly, but we had to compose ourselves so that we could try and handle this diplomatically.

"Stay here for a few minutes," I told the girls as Embry and I got out and closed the doors behind us.

We both took a tough looking stance on our side of the line.

"Where is she?" Cullen asked, his tone calm but I could tell he was gritting his teeth and saw him clenching his fists.

"The car. They're both in the car," Alice told him in a voice that normal ears could not have detected.

"Edward, Bella is fine. She has something to discuss with you, but I want your word, that nothing will happen to her if she gets out of the car."

"_My word_? You know I would never hurt her," he said as he took a step forward.

"I don't know that. You hurt her once and I don't know what you're capable of now," I replied pulling my arms down from across my chest and lowering them to my sides.

Edward was seething. He wanted what he considered his _property_ back. I could tell by the look in his golden eyes. But Bella had chosen to accept the love that had finally found her. The love that would comfort and nourish her for the rest of her days. The love that would grow old wrapped around her like a glove that fit so tight that it couldn't be pulled off alone, not that it would ever need to be removed. So this meant I would take a stand for her, for us, and do what was necessary to bind us together now and forever.

"Bella! Bella!" he screamed and I saw his fists turning snow white as he clenched them hard enough to turn the granite like substance to a powder.

Edward had read every thought I had just had and it was driving him mad. I wasn't sure if he could accept what she had to say, even if she said if with her own mouth. But we would soon find out. I never took my eyes off of the Cullens, but I heard Bella and Camille shifting around in the car and then the doors opened.

Bella came to my side and slipped her hand into mine. I held it tight and tried my best to offer her the strength I knew she would need for the next few minutes and the reassurance that I would be there when she woke up tomorrow too and every day after that.

"Edward. I just can't do this anymore. It's not right. You knew that and that's why you left," Bella said, her voice trembling with the feelings that were coursing through her.

He took a step toward her and I heard rustling in the brush that surrounded either side of the road. I glanced around and saw several sets of eyes peering out at the scene that was playing out before them.

Edward growled low in his chest, much like an animal that had been backed into a corner and stood down. He didn't move any closer but his gaze was fixed on Bella's face and only Bella's face. He was trying, with all his might to get inside of her mind and see if the thoughts I had shared with him a few moments ago were really what she wanted.

And from the look on her face, as I glanced quickly down at her and then back up again, was as if was concentrating just as hard to allow him that access just this once, so she didn't have to say these things to him, but she needed to. She needed to hear her own voice tell him goodbye so that later when she was alone, she would know that it wasn't just her imagination and it had really happened then the sound of her own voice would echo in the quiet chambers of her memory.

"Bella, I need you," he said, shifting uncomfortably on one foot. It was easy to see that he didn't really want to air his feelings here tonight, but he had no choice. We weren't going anywhere.

"Edward you don't. You proved that when you left," Bella countered back at him.

"No. You're wrong. I was devastated without out you all those months, if only I had chosen a different way to try and protect you. I never would have left," he said desperately.

Bella moved closer to my side and slipped her free hand under my arm and I pressed it between my side and inner arm. She was holding onto me to keep herself from giving way and collapsing under the weight of what she must do.

"Edward, I've changed. I've changed inside and I've finally found the kind of love I've been searching for. A love that won't leave me...a love that will always be by my side," she said, glancing up at me with tears in her eyes.

I pulled my attention away from the Cullens for another split second, to look at her soft brown eyes and that was all it took. She was there one second and I blinked and she was gone. One of them had swept her away from me in the blink of an eye.

Everything after that was a blur. I looked back to where Edward had been standing and both he and Alice were gone, just like Bella. Then I was howling, a fierce howl that broke from deep within my chest and radiated out of my mouth in human form making it sound like a scream of agony, until it was finally projected out of my steel like jaws as my body became that of the warm-blooded warrior—of the wolf.

Embry was right behind me and I saw him glance at Camille with a sorrowful look as he too transformed and followed after me. Our noses to the ground, paws digging deep into the earth as they pulled us forward and toward the smell of the sweet ambrosia that burned our noses and the scent of Bella.

The others were only seconds behind us and as our minds joined, Sam berated himself harshly for not seeing this move coming and for letting them take Bella. But then, we all focused on the mission at hand and finding her, saving her from possible death or worse, a life forced upon her by Edward in his crazed moment of nonacceptance to what she had been trying to tell him.

We raced, flying faster than any of us even knew was possible until we were edging toward the river that snaked near the Cullens' house. The terrain was rocky and there was a drop off, a steep rock face that overlooked the river near where we were heading. I only hoped that we could reach them in time.

That's when I saw them. They were all standing on the very edge of the drop-off and I could smell Bella's fear. My heart was pounding so loudly that it deafened my ears to what was being said. But I could tell that Edward was pleading with Bella.

Sam ordered us to slide in low and surround them. We slowed our run to a fast pace, none of us wanting to make a move that would result in Bella being harmed. As we slowed, I was able to now hear what was being said.

"Edward. This is what she truly wants," Alice said and I thought if she had been able to cry, I would have seen tears glistening in the moonlight that was now peering through the trees at us, silhouetting the trio.

"How can you know that?" Edward screamed. "You can't see her when she's with him. With the dog," he spat.

I wanted nothing more than to take him apart limb by limb right then. All of the pent up thoughts and disregard for him filling my mind and my heart to a point where I was seeing red, but I couldn't, not yet, I had to make sure Bella was safe.

"No. I can't Edward. But I can see her visiting her father. She has a glow about her, a radiance like she's never had. And...and I can see her handing her little girl, her first child, to Charlie and I can feel her heart swell with love as she watches him play with his granddaughter for the first time in his home. Those images are brief and fleeting because there's always a russet colored mist that circles around her like it's wrapping her in a protective hold—a hold of utter love and adoration. That's him I see Edward. This is what she's chosen," Alice said in a hushed tone choked with a dry type of emotion.

"No," Edward said, looking down into Bella's eyes squeezing her shoulders tightly as he tried to pull her near, but she was pulling against him.

"Edward, this is what you've always wanted too. You've always wanted for her to be happy and she will be. She will be happier with him than she ever could with you—with us. She won't have to give up her loved ones and he can give her children and can grow old with her. She won't have to wander this earth for eternity watching the world she knows now wither and fade. And as much as it breaks my non beating heart, I know that this is where she belongs. We have to let her go now," Alice said and reaching for Edward's arm.

He shunned her touch and I saw the grief in his expression. The regret for letting one such as Bella slip through his grasp, but they just weren't meant to be.

"Ed...Edward, you'll find another. I know you will. There's someone out there, like you, that can fill the void you say you have. Go...and find her," Bella said as she reached up and touched his face.

Edward simply nodded and let her go carefully, stepping away from her. Alice gave her a short embrace and took Edward by the hand and she pulled him into the shadows and they disappeared into the night.

I couldn't hold back the howl that pierced the dimly lit woods and I began moving cautiously toward Bella. She had sunk to her knees on the rocky ground and was weeping. The physical goodbye was over, but I knew she would still have mending to do. Not like before, but it would still take time.

When I finally reached her, she looked up at me. Our eyes locked and I whimpered wanting to take away her pain. Wanting to just hold her until she was whole again. But my clothes had not been a source of concern when I phased back by the car, so for now all I could do was offer her the warmth of my fur.

I leaned into her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, tears wetting and matting it where she wept, but we were together now. The others turned and went back to La Push and Embry went back to find Camille. Sam had ordered Seth to stay behind to watch after her and he would have to help Embry get some clothes.

After they had all gone, I curled up beside Bella and we just sat there. She ran her hand through my fur and stroked my ears and neck. I let my mind wander back to what Alice had said and wondered if her words would ever ring true. I hoped that it would and I began to picture Bella and I together walking down the isle as we got married. Then I saw the little dark haired miracle that she had spoken of from her vision and I smiled to myself as I imagined what she would look like.

She would be a part of Bella and me. A testament of our love for each other and I welcomed the thought to the point of craving it. My heart grew during that moment, overflowing with the love I had for Bella, and I said a prayer of thanks that my love had finally found her, reaching her to a point that she finally realized it and accepted it. And I found it ironic that this end was truly the beginning for us.


End file.
